Is the housing sector's recovery a real test of building standards? - HbD Online

Brian Kilroy, Business Development at BLP Insurance, writes for Housebuilder and Developer

More than 226,000* new homes were built at the height of the UK housing market boom in 2007. By 2009, complaints to the National Housebuilding Council (NHBC) concerning alleged defects had reached 64,000 – the highest figure on record. In the push to meet the demands of the house buying public, standards had inevitably paid the price. With the market picking up again and activity growing towards pre-recession levels, the risk that history might repeat itself and build standards start to fall is a very real concern.